Common Occurrence
by kideaxl
Summary: Tai was spending Christmas Eve alone until he met her. Apparently she was going to make it her mission to know him better, whether he liked it or not.


The streets of Odaiba were littered in festive lights dying even the ground making a road of jolliness. A slow and steady flow of snow sprinkled the ground making a landscape of cheer that brought a smile on most of the faces of those walking on them. It was a beautiful night of Christmas Eve.

Tai walked along the bright streets with aimless steps. After every singular step he took a moment's time to grind his heels and disrupt any collection of snow he encountered. His eyes lingered solidly on the ground and never rose higher than a person's abdomen. Unsteady but visible breath seeped through his lips like a beast.

During his walk, he passed a number of couples linking arms and nestling against one another. The sight caused him to glare. Sweet tones coming from the couples were jeers to him. Tai shoved his hands into his jacket to hide his violently shaking balled fists. A real part of him wanted to deck every single guy strolling with a lover.

They were not satisfied enough with their happiness. Each of those guys felt the need to show off their fortune, a fortune Tai could not enjoy. What did every guy he passed have that he did not. Why did those girls say yes to them, but he couldn't receive one?

He passed yet another couple, the 9th he had counted thus far, and he had to fight back the tears as they threatened to escape his eyes. Ashamed, he ducked his head to hide his expression to his fellow pedestrians.

Don't be such a big baby. I faced plenty of digimon. I'm not going to cry like a wimp over this, he thought. What good was a crest of courage when he was shaken up by a simple rejection? Tai wished he could shape all of his pain into a digimon and set Wargreymon against it. He understood how to conquer a digimon, with or without a partner, but his heart was another matter.

Lost in his mind, Tai ended up colliding with a figure. Said person hadn't moved an inch, but Tai fell off his feet. He was half convinced he had run into a wall.

Tai rubbed his sore face, "Hey! Watch where you're go-." He paused as he took in the person he had collided with.

The person was a girl around his age. She appeared surprised at first before shifting her expression to a smile so wide her eyes squinted.

It was her hair that captured his attention. Her hair stood out vividly against slowly falling snow like a Christmas light of its own. It must have been weaved by some great craftsman from flames themselves into a fine quilt draping just to her shoulders. Clearly she had good taste, evident by the pair of goggles tied to her side ponytail.

The girl bent over and offered him a free hand, "Sorry about that, buddy. I hope you aren't too hurt." She extended her hand closer towards him.

Tai grimaced, "I'm fine." He pushed her hand away harder than necessary.

She smirked in response and snatched his wrist. The girl pulled him to his feet in one smooth motion. Satisfied, she placed her umbrella over him. She was a touch taller than him.

"You don't have a hood or an umbrella. You'll catch your death of cold," she said.

Tai grinded the heel of his boots into the snow, "I'm fine." This was not happening. Every female in his life felt the need to nag at him, be it his mom, sister… or Sora. There was no way he accept it from a stranger.

"Not with all that shivering you're doing."

"Mind your own business." All he wanted was to end this conversation. It was dragging on like an unpleasant itch he couldn't scratch or a goal he couldn't score. Whatever game she was playing, he didn't want any part in it.

"Sorry, can't help being a busybody," she said.

"I'm not in the mood for this." He attempted to make his leave.

But she caught his arm. Despite his struggling, he was unable to shake her off, "Is it your hobby to harass strangers you meet on the street?" It was like the world was having a kick at mocking her. He lacked the strength to get over his insecurities and power to move from the loose grip of a girl.

She invaded his personal space, "The name's Ami. See? Now you know who I am. What's yours?"

"I don't have to answer you." Tai didn't want company. He wanted to curl up in some corner and be swallowed so that others didn't bombard him with their happiness. Obviously the girl had other ideas. If only she was a dude, he would've decked her by now and raced off into the night. Now that was a mood lifter.

Ami tapped her cheek for a moment before snapping her fingers. She dug into the pockets of her puffy yellow jacket and rummaged around for something. When she pulled her hand out, she had a promotional ticket, "Come on, if you answer I'll treat you to some food. There's a couple deal at this joint I know."

Tai made a show of pulling away again, but he was unsuccessful. His escape attempts were unable to cause her to falter for even a second. Tai's stomach ached in hunger as though in rebellion. He hadn't eaten the whole day. "Fine, I'll go. I don't have anything better to do anyway. And the name's Tai." The faster this went the faster he got some food and could kill this interaction.

"Great! You won't regret it," she says.

"I'm already kinda am."

"Oh, stop being such a sourpuss."

With his agreement, Ami finally let go of his arm. Tai rubbed his abused limb to soothe the ache. He walked to her when she gestured towards him. When he reached underneath the umbrella, she stood closer to him than expected.

They began their walk. In the meantime, he observed his walking companion. Ami walked surefooted and with a little skip to her step. She was even whistling a soft little Christmas tune. The grays of her eyes were alight and grew even brighter with each festivity she encountered. Ami would take time to greet many of the couples they would pass and said couples answered back as though they were long time friends. Ami flashed him a smile when her eyes met his.

He was quick to turn away embarrassed. His staring had been far too blatant for his tastes, but he couldn't help it. This girl was strange. She was pushy but underneath it was a cuteness he couldn't deny. Unlike him, she appeared confident in her own skin and was having the time of her life. Tai could use some of that right now.

"We're almost there," she said.

Tai inhaled the fragrance of multiple eateries around them. There was the soft background chatter of couples saying sweet nothings to one another. He took in the blend of all the cooking and his hunger grew. Besides, heartbreak had a way of increasing one's appetite.

Ami led him down the path until they reached a particular stall.

She pulled at his arm and pointed towards the stall, "This is it." She picked up her pace. Ami pushed aside the entrance flap.

Tai followed suit. The interior revealed it was a ramen shop. Warm lighting bathed the whole interior with a pleasant beige hue. Steam floated in the air spreading the scent of broth. There wasn't a large crowd. It was apparent this wasn't really a hotspot for couples. Tai was already beginning to like this place.

They settled at the seats at the end corner of the counter. The spot did an excellent job in helping Tai ignore the rest of the customers. Eating with Ami's company was already stretching it.

Ami waved at the chef over the counter, "Hey, boss man. I brought my buddy Tai over. I'll have the usual."

"Got it. How about you sir?" the chef asked.

"I'll have the miso ramen."

"It'll be right up," the chef said.

"So, Mr. Tai, what's your story?" Ami asked.

And there it was, the dreaded question. Couldn't he be blissfully happy for a moment? Tai scraped the top of the wooden counter until his nail chipped. "I don't have a story and if I did, it wouldn't be any of your business."

Tai had no intention of walking away from this as a joke. He wanted to maintain what little image he had built up with her. If she laughed at his situation, it would've been a rejection of its own. And he had enough for one night.

Ami rested her chin on her folded hands, "You're walking alone on Christmas Eve. The only folks out here alone are those comfortable enough to be out to take advantage of deals, like moi, or those down on their luck. I mean you were angry stomping the snow and your face screams thug whenever you saw a cute couple." Her eyes lit up like the cat that caught the canary if said cat was adamant on lecturing the canary the proper ways of flying.

He grimaced. He had been far too blatant with his increasing ire. But he couldn't be blamed for that. Emotions came too easily to him. Anger was nice in dulling pain and tonight was turning out to be a painful night.

The chef came back with the food. He placed a steaming bowl of miso ramen in front of Tai. When he moved over to Ami, he placed a double sized bowl of tonkotsu ramen with toppings close to overflowing from the bowl.

Ami gave her thanks to the chef and dug right in. She took every bite with careful consideration and nearly swooned at every mouthful. The sight made him chuckle a bit and release some of the tension in his shoulders. Following her example, he began to dig in.

"Screw it. What do I have to lose? Besides, something tells me you aren't going to leave me alone until I talk. There's this girl who rejected me earlier today. I've been into her for I don't know how long. It took forever to get the guts to confess. Do you want to know the best part of all? She was into my best friend. I get it; he's a pretty boy and part of a boy band."

He shoved the ramen down his gullet and barely tasted the food now, "There's no way I can compare to any of that. Matt is smooth, cool, and handsome. Why would Sora choose anything less than the best?" Tai felt bile on his tongue at the admission.

Glancing over at Ami, he realized she was already drinking the remainder of her broth. He snorted in disdain, "Were you listening to word I said?" The girl was showing herself to be a bigger glutton than himself.

She wiped her mouth clean with her napkin, "Of course I was. It would be rude not to. I'll be real here, there's nothing wrong with this Sora girl or you. It's Sora's right to choose who she wants to be with no matter your feelings. But you have a right to be happy too you know? Your happiness might not be with the girl you thought it would be with."

Ami placed a hand over his shoulder, "Don't be bitter. It hurts like hell now, but time will make this better. Emotions are complicated and can suck sometimes, but you'll make it through. You seem like a tough guy."

Tai scratched his head, "Really? I find that hard to believe." Her words sounded so foreign to him. Matt seemed so desirable in comparison to him.

She gave his shoulder a light squeeze, "You say that now, but one day you'll appreciate this growth."

Tai didn't respond. He stared at the contents of his bowl before eating the rest of the ramen. Ami didn't interrupt his pace. When he finished the last of the broth, he turned back to her, "Thanks. The food was good. Despite everything, this wasn't so bad." She had a way with words that set his at ease. Talking to her was like easing into a nice sofa, inviting and comfortable.

"No problem," she said.

They rose from their seats. Ami paid the bill and said her goodbyes to the chef.

Stepping outside, a chilled wind passed through him. Tai couldn't believe it, but he wanted to go back to the shop. The meal had nice, no more than nice. An open ear and easy smile had done a world of good for him.

"Do you have some time?" she asked.

Tai shrugged, "Sure. You listened to me whine and gave me free food, I can spare you some time." There was desperation within him to not seem needy. What he wanted was more of the companionship, not pity. Spending more time with her could be what he needs.

She elbowed him with a playful smile on her lips, "I guess mom was right. The way to a man's heart is through his stomach."

They shared a little laugh. His was to cover a growing embarrassment. Ami ease with friendly touching felt more intimate than irritating now. She didn't mean anything by it, but a growing something wanted more.

Ami went to open her umbrella but Tai stopped her. He pushed an open hand in her direction while he stared upwards, "I can hold it. It's got be annoying carrying it for two people, let me do my share." Looking back, it was a shame how poorly he had spoken to her. His mom would've smacked him a good one with how rude he had been. Perhaps this was a poor way for him to earn points with Ami.

"Please and thank you," she replied.

Tai held the umbrella over them. He followed her through the city streets. As they passed by the blocks, the distance between them grew smaller and smaller. Ami led him to the undeveloped part of the city. Metal gave way to snow covered trees. At the end of their trek, they reached a hill with a gentle slope.

The hill was well coated in snow. A splattering of trees broke the uniformity. At the top of the hill, one could see the majority of the city bathed in Christmas lights. It was like an ornament in the winter night.

Tai marveled at the sight.

"Pretty cool, isn't it?" she asked. "I come here to clear my mind and vent. Give it a shoot. You'll feel better. Here, I'll go first." She stepped away from him and took a deep breath. She released a loud scream. As she was huffing, she gestured for him to go up.

Tai stepped forward and screamed, "Matt looks like an emo dork! His songs are cliché as hell! I don't even need Sora!" His heart was racing, but his smile was wider than it had been all night. The cloud of melancholy faded into the cool night as tears fell.

Ami pulled him into a soft embrace, "It feels good, doesn't it? All those ugly feelings are part of the healing."

He nestled into the embrace and returned it. Snow continued to fall over their figures, yet he was undeniably warm. Long had he dreamt of a moment like this, held in a tender embrace. It was not with the girl he expected, but he wasn't disappointed. Ami had a persistent gentleness that refused to abandon him.

A soft and steady tremor ran between them. The soft tremor warped into a violent shake sending them falling apart. Dazed, Tai got back to his feet.

Ami fiddled with her googles as she rushed to her feet. Se extended her hand to Tai and he took it without preamble, "We need to get out of here."

After her warning, she sprint into didn't linger a single second. He closed the distance between them and kept pace with of them were scanning their surroundings.

"Down!" she said. Ami pushed him to the ground. It wasn't a second too soon because a moments later the trees around them had been mysteriously cut into pieces.

Tai rolled on the ground but was able to force himself to stop. Looking at the source of the attack, he gasped. A monster who could only be a Digimon stood across from them. The Digimon had the body of a large bear with purple fur with red spike gauntlets and a white crescent moon on its forehead. It growled with a rabid intensity.

Ami made a beeline into the thicker collection of trees. The digimon followed suit.

He wiped the blood from his lips and got up with unsteady steps. Shaking away the spots in his vision, he sprinted in the direction of the confrontation. Branches of the trees brushed against his skin leaving behind cuts and bruises as he picked up his pace. At the clearing, she was goading the digimon. Snatching a piece of wood he made a beeline for the digimon, "Get away from her, you overgrown teddie bear!"

Tai leapt before the clawed gauntlet could hit him. He landed on its muscled back and had to brace himself as it tried to shake him off. Clutching the fur around the neck area, he landed blow after blow on its face. His attacks annoyed more than injured the beast and the shaking grew even more aggressive.

Despite his efforts, he couldn't hold onto the beast. In between the wild bucking, Tai lost his grip and was flung off. He saw his trajectory leading to a thick tree. Tai closed his eyes in resignation.

I hope I bought Ami enough time to escape, he thought. He found comfort in the believe that his last moments were spent playing knight. It wasn't a bad way to go.

Tai's body shook in a violent manner before he came to a stop. Surprised, he opened his eyes. He was no longer flying into the tree instead he was in the arm of a digimon. Said digimon was a dark fusion of a samurai and Wargreymon.

"Nice catch, Samudramon! Let's beat that Grizzlymon!" she said. Ami wiggled in Samudramon's other arm.

Samudramon landed with unexpected grace before guiding them to the ground.

Grizzlymon snarled and bull rushed the group. Samudramon stood poised and pulled out two mighty blades, "Cross Slicer." His blades produced two arcs of lights, forming a cross and shot towards the rampaging digimon.

Grizzlymon's whole body was engulfed by the light and destroyed.

"Thanks. You really saved our skin, partner. You're the best," Ami said.

Samudramon rested on his blades, "Do you mean I'm the best partner you could ask for?"

Ami snorted, "Don't get too swelled a head." Her answer was spoken in a tone that carried the echoes of the same conversation repeating over and over. She spun around and smiled at Tai, "Thanks. You're crazy, reckless, and an idiot, but you're a brave idiot. I guess we have that in common."

"That isn't a good thing," Samudramon said. They could hear the lamentation and disquiet that borne from experience. He looked at them as though they were a combination of kegs and lit matches. Disaster was all but inevitable.

She waved off his comment, "Thanks _dad_."

Tai held back a laugh. Adrenaline coming down, he felt nothing but pleasantness. They survived and that was all that mattered. Perhaps he would ponder the presence of a digimon or her partner, but it was not today. Today he would celebrate their teamwork and bask in the euphoria of the moment.

"Seeing that you aren't freaking out, I can guess you know about digimon?" she asked.

Tai nodded. He explained that he and his group of friends had digimon partners.

She released a relieved sigh, "That's good. That would've been a nightmare to explain this whole thing." She took note of the sky, "It's late. We should be getting home."

"I'll walk you home… if you want," he said. Tai stuck his hands in his pockets and stared at the sky as well. A tentative hope bubbled beneath the surface. "It's pretty dangerous for a pretty girl to walk home alone."

She snickered behind her covered mouth, "How gentlemanly of you. I'll take you up on your offer."

"I see that I'm not needed here," Samudramon said with the certainty of a child seeing their parents flirting. He passed the umbrella to Tai and disappeared in a flash of light.

Tai opened the umbrella and offered a trembling arm to her.

Ami stepped under the umbrella and took the offer. She held his arm between hers.

She smiled at him and him at her. They shared a comfortable companionship throughout the walk. As they made their trek, they swapped some stories of their digital adventures. It was more pleasurable than he expected to share those stories with someone unrelated.

Tai lost himself in the moment and time escaped him. It wasn't long until he was in front of an unfamiliar apartment complex. When she stepped away from him, he already began to miss the embrace. It had been pleasant.

He gazed as she patted the snow off her coat. The picturesque scene left him engrossed. Even as she did something so mundane, he found a confident femininity in her. It brought forth a soft smile to his lips.

"Thanks for today. I was pretty bummed out about the whole rejection thing. I'm sorry for being such a jerk. You took the time and effort to make my day and I want to say that meant a lot to me."

"You're welcome," she said. She patted him on the shoulder once again, "You gotta stand tall and be confident."

Tai laughed, "I'll keep that in mind." He closed the umbrella and presented it to her.

She didn't take it and pushed it back towards him. Before he could question her, she stepped into his personal space. Ami lifted his chin and gently turned it aside. Her lips pressed against his cheek.

He could smell the rich scent of cinnamon coming off of her. Her lips were soft, smooth, and warm against his chilled cheek. Traces of her lip gloss smeared and marked the occasion alongside his racing heart and tightening lungs. This was unbelievable. This was the greatest.

Ami pulled away from him with a coy smile, "You need it more. Remember to return it the next time we meet."

Dazed, he nodded as she waved goodbye and disappeared into the complex. It took a second to return to his senses. Something had been slipped into his hand. It was a note with a number circled and a message that read 'call me'.

Tai walked back home with light steps and a goofy smile on his face. He wanted to cheer loud enough for the whole city to hear.

Tonight had been great. And Ami was better.

…

**Author's Note:**

**Well there goes a romantic piece. Was the romance paced well for a short piece? Was I able to evoke any of Tai's feelings to you readers?**

**Also, I've realized that a beta reader would do me some good. Does anyone know a reliable way to meet people interested in beta reading? **

**Until next time. **


End file.
